That Girl Ain't Right

Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust

2000

D: Yoshiaki Kawajiri

**********

 

         For years I’ve been familiar with the 1985 anime after tuning into the Sci-Fi Channel’s Saturday Anime on my 10th(?) birthday and being exposed to entirely new ideas of just how violent a movie can be. It was only this year when I finally decided to watch the sequel after hearing about it for so long. My curiosity was enhanced by its apparently being more popular than the first entry. Also, this is the 25^th Anniversary. 

        In this story D (Andy Philpot) is commissioned by wealthy human John Elbourne (John DiMaggio) to rescue his daughter Charlotte (Wendy Lee), who has been kidnapped by vampire nobleman Meier Link (John Rafter Lee). Elbourne has also commissioned the Marcus Brothers, consisting of their leader Borgoff (Matt McKenzie), Nolt (DiMaggio), Kyle (Alex Fernandez), and Grove (Jake Fletcher). Accompanying this gang is Leila (Pamella Segall), who has a score to settle with vampires in general. D touches base with them and, after an unsuccessful attempt to catch Meier, finds out that Charlotte has supposedly eloped with him voluntarily.

      In the process, Leila breaks off from the group and makes an insane attempt to catch Link herself, resulting in D’s saving her life by dressing her wound. One would wonder why she would do something so stupid just for revenge, but then again, her one positive relationship is her concern for Grove, an invalid whose powers are extreme but can exhaust him to death. Perhaps she wanted the reward for herself in order to help free him from the risk of being exploited by his brothers. I also noted that her voice sounded somewhat familiar. It almost sounded like they had obtained Milla Jovovich, so I checked and it turned out it's Bobby Hill. 

       D attempts a parlay with the Barbarois, a mutant gang led by a lovably eccentric old man on a unicycle (Dwight Schultz) that has pledged its help to Link, but is unsuccessful. He is hopelessly outnumbered (characters keep getting themselves into these hopeless situations), but is bailed out by Grove’s psychic avatar, who forges a path of implacable destruction in a starry-eyed trance akin to that of a fifth-generation Altima driver. 

       The chase continues with our heroes’ being pursued by superpowered Barbarois assassins Benge (Schultz), Caroline (Mary Elizabeth McGlynn), and Mashira (DiMaggio). In the process the assassins are killed one by one, taking Nolt and Kyle with them. During a fight with Caroline, D pushes himself to the point of heat exhaustion and is helped by Leila. The two promise each other during the respite to send flowers to each other’s graves depending on who dies first.  

       Eventually Meier and Charlotte meet Countess Carmilla (Julia Fletcher) in her castle in order to procure a starship to leave Earth with. Unfortunately, Carmilla was only using them in a plan to reincarnate herself and begin a new reign of terror. She uses various disturbing visions to defeat them, and Borgoff is turned in the process. I’ve never liked the strong, seemingly virtuous hero’s being subverted into becoming a dangerous abusive threat, but it may be somewhat earned here. Grove sacrifices himself to save Leila from Borgoff by pushing his powers to the limit. Meier and D destroy Carmilla and, after a tense faceoff, agree to a truce, with D’s taking Charlotte’s ring as a receipt for her family. Meier and Charlotte blast off in their rocket. 

        In what may seem like a flashback, a young girl resembling Leila (Debi Derryberry) is at a funeral for a loved one when she sees D observing in the distance. She accosts him and it is revealed that she is Leila’s granddaughter and that the funeral is hers. D confirms that he knew Leila and tells the girl that he is glad that she found love. 

          Despite being a fun movie, my biggest complaint about it is the troubling nature of Meier’s relationship with Charlotte. I’m a bit put off by the suggestion that I am to sympathize with a demonic nobleman’s lopsided tryst with a lower-class hnau with very few prospects for success and a promise of family separation, but then again, the work does look rather pretty. It’s framed as a respectable one since he resists the powerful temptation to turn her into a vampire, but she is still being separated from her family for what I presume to be the rest of her life and even being spirited away to space! It also doesn’t help that Link has apparently done genuinely evil things like turning a whole village of people into zombies to slow down his pursuers. To be fair, though, said demonic noble is willing to put his life on the line for his paramour, so there's that (Kyle, being the type of person who's named "Kyle," makes fun of him for it).  While the protagonists are sympathetic enough, they too start rooting for the literal and physical ship to take off in the end. For all the flak it gets for being a cheesy 80’s violent anime I greatly prefer the opposing plot of the 1985 movie, in which the vampire is literally just an evil, dirty old man who needs to be slain. Bloodlust seems too much like a modernist subversion. Both entries are apparently based on the first and third Vampire Hunter D novels by Hideyuki Kikuchi, with a reference to second book in a brief scene in which D is defended by an old man (John Hostetter) who was a child he had rescued from vampires. 

           D himself is a cool character, a typical stoic loner hero that men like me have a weakness for. Still, I’m starting to think the grouchy immortal character does not make that much sense. Sure, you’d have to mourn multiple generations of friends, but eventually you’d accept that over constant painful loneliness. D is a dhampir and somewhat of an outcast, but he does reject permanent friendship even when offered. Of course, his powers do give him the sense of obligation to move to the next town that needs help, and he’s had a past. His Left Hand (Mike McShane) is a solid comic relief character without being too intrusive. 

           The visuals are beautiful, and make the movie worth watching by themselves. The artwork is clean and gorgeous and contains a shot so iconic and popular that it’s a wonder it hasn’t suffered the same fate as the bike slide from Akira. Particularly impressive is the design of Carmilla’s castle, which is a decided creative baroque work; we need to model a church after it. There is some CGI, but it is well integrated and utilized. However, despite being better-looking per se than the first OVA, I believe that latter’s gritty sci-fi aesthetic seems much more appropriate for the post-apocalyptic Dying Earth setting. Violence is much more subdued in the new movie, and only approaches 80’s anime levels when D’s cyborg horse falls from a cliff and hits the ground in a brief explosion of viscera. Mashira’s design seems to have inspired a few OC's with bellymouths.

           Bloodlust is a great example of anime when it the style plays to its strengths. For whatever reason, this medium never prioritized fluid animation. I’ve always thought that a good anime is one that accepts and explores artistic opportunities usually in conflict with animation, such as detail, atmosphere, and shot composition. On the other hand, I’ve always hated anime’s stilted, lifeless, unexpressive attempts at cartooniness and neoteny (which Bloodlust thankfully lacks). Best to be the best at what you are than weak version of what you are not. Of course, one has to be prudent when using these limitations. Perhaps this is why the style lends itself to cool stoical loners like D in the same way that western animation uses anthros because they work better in simpler, more-animation friendly art styles. 

           I suppose I feel this way because I'm a Xennial and my childhood straddled the Disney Renaissance and the Japanese Invasion, so I feel I have a good appreciation for the strengths of both media and never got the idea into my head that expressiveness is ugly. 

           Arguably more fitting to this aesthetic is the score by Marco D’Ambrosio, but it’s far too generic and doesn’t hold a candle next to Tetsuya Komuro’s ominous synth soundtrack in the 1985 OVA. Perhaps it’s a sign of the time when people were distancing themselves the 80’s, a dark age. 

           Voice acting is okay with some weak points (Borgoff, for one thing sounds like background chatter from Popeye, but for all I know that could be intentional), although I was surprised that the movie was originally made for an English cast, because the lip-synching could be a bit better. It’s a reflection of anime’s cult following at the time and how it was becoming more popular in the West. The cast also features John DeMita. 

            While the movie has its big nagging flaw it’s a fun watch and worth a look just for how gorgeous it is. 

 

 

QUOTES

 

LEFT HAND: D, Are you awake?

D: I need your help…to swallow up this spell.

LEFT HAND: You’re a slave driver, you know that?

 

LEFT HAND: I don't know about you, but man I sure miss that horse. What was his name?

LEFT HAND: Oh, oh the silent treatment, huh? Well I got two words for you: Heat Syndrome. Look, look, I know I'm a parasite, but haven't I always been a helpful parasite? Now you may not care if you die from heat, but becoming a piece of beef jerky is not a lifelong ambition of mine!

LEFT HAND: Yeah, well, what’s the sound of one hand yapping?

 

LEILA: Don’t get any ideas! Hey, I’m just trying to stay dry here. If there was any other place to go, believe me, I’d be there. As soon as the rain lets up, I’ll be gone from here and from you.

D: I think I can guess your problem. Your family was the victim of vampires.

LEILA: You don't know what you're talking about. You don't know anything about it.

D: All right. Perhaps I don’t.

LEILA: [removing earpiece] This stupid thing, it bothers me... You really are a weird one, you know that? In spite of being a dunpeal hunter and all that that entails. How did you know about my mother?

D: You called her name, remember?

LEILA: She was kidnapped by vampires. My father went after her and was trying to rescue her, so they killed him. And after a while my mother returned, but she wasn't my mother anymore; she'd been changed. The people in the village stoned her to death while I watched. After that I left home. I met the Marcus brothers and joined with them. I wanted to be a hunter to avenge my parents' deaths. I've seen many terrible things since then: lives destroyed, families devastated, hopes crushed... everytime, it seems a vampire is to blame.

D: I can understand why you’d choose to do it. But the life of a hunter is no kind of life. 

LEILA: It's the only life I'm any good for now. And it looks like it's the only life you've ever known. So I suggest we make a pact, since we're both in it for the long haul: whoever dies first, the other one can come and bring flowers to their grave. How's that?... It's the rain, makes me sentimental. I don't know why I should care about that - it's just I love flowers. And I don't think I'll be getting any, I'm all alone after all. We have that much in common, don't we? That we're both hunters and we're both alone. Oh well, I'm being silly, doesn't really matter...

D: I’ll do it. I’ll bring you flowers if I survive this…but I don’t expect to.

LEILA: Stop. I didn’t really mean it when I said that, and anyway, I don’t really understand why you should keep on doing this.

D: Because I’m a dunpeal. I don’t get to have a life. Not like you.

 

[Meier catches fire while braving the sunlight to get Charlotte back]

KYLE: Over here, hot stuff. Hoo hoo, look at him burn!

[he and Borgoff continue to laugh and make fun of him]

 

LEFT HAND: Getting close... the Castle of Chaythe. Soon we'll be able to see it: the home of Carmilla, the Bloody Countess. You've heard of her. For five thousand years her rule of terror lasted, and then, that was that! Your father, the Vampire King, grew angry. He was impatient with her vanity; offended by her bloodlust, her gluttony. He grew so tired that he killed her while she slept, impaling her on a sword, and that was it for her. Except she haunts the place now with phantoms and demons... But you don't care about that, do you? But I bet I know what really gets to you, dunpeal. What really gets to you - the thought of those two lovebirds having another dunpeal, huh? That's it. You see, I know you. I know how you think, I know how you feel, I know every move you make. You can't-

[D clenches fist to shut him up]

 

D: Stop right there, Meier. I’m taking her back. Back to her family who loved her.

MEIER LINK: She knew I loved her best of all. You can’t understand it. You’ve never loved a human.

D: I’ve never killed one, either. 

 

MEIER LINK: She is here by her own choice, dunpeal. So unless you're the kind of man who would take a woman against her will for the money in it - and I am sure it's a lot - I suggest you save your sorry ass now and leave us to travel in peace.

D: I would if I could believe you, Meier. Your credibility, however, is less than impeccable under the circumstances. You kidnapped the girl.

 

[Japanese dub]

MEIER LINK: You should bear in mind, D, that your struggle to resist our nature can’t last forever. One day, the urge for their blood will be stronger.

D: And when that day comes, another will hunt me. It’s as simple as that.

 

GIRL: Hey, mister! Wait! Mister, wait! Um, excuse me, sir, but I was wondering if you knew my grandmother Leila... Yes. It's you, isn't it? My grandmother told me about you. So, I'd be honoured if you could come to our house. My father would be so happy...

D: I appreciate the kindness.

GIRL: Oh, come on, we don’t live very far…

D: I just came to keep a promise I made to an old friend. She was afraid no one would mourn her death. I'm glad she was so wrong.

GIRL: Okay, I guess I see…anyway, thank you for coming.

[D leaves]

GIRL: Goodbye, Goodbye!

LEFT HAND: Well, that was nice. You’re not so bad after all…you just dress bad. 

 

25th Anniversaries

Gladiator
2000

D: Ridley Scott
**********

 

       For years I’ve counted Gladiator as my favorite movie of 2000, one of the few since the 70’s to have deservedly won a Best Picture Oscar and a catalyst for a brief trend of swords-and-sandals action movies. Nowadays I feel compelled to re-evaluate that in the light of current politics and my own changing viewpoints. We’ll see if this film passes the test.

       While I traditionally do these anniversary reviews on the initial release date, I sadly did not feel like doing a review after last weekend’s rewatch until I was already into the work week. A curse of having a mindless blue-collar job is that my mind can wander all day, but I don’t have the opportunity or energy to put ideas down on paper until the weekend. But before I begin the synopsis and review in earnest, I am compelled by the laws of the Internet to acknowledge the following osmotic behind-the-scenes anecdotes.

• The movie’s visuals were primarily inspired by some painting, though apparently not that much.   
• Joaquin Phoenix decided to purposefully gain weight during shooting for method-acting reasons, and Ridley Scott had to tell him to stop because even Ridley Scott has his limits.
• Russell Crowe initially refused to say an awesome line because it was the type that midwits pretend isn’t metal to make themselves feel better, causing Ridley Scott to put his foot down. Crowe, in an attempt to reconcile not provoking Scott’s legendary diva rage with his own ego, rationalized that maybe he could make it work because he’s “the best actor ever” and phoned in the read.
• They briefly considered a scene in which Maximus had to endorse products as ancient Roman gladiators actually did, but it was decided to be too comical for the movie’s tone. This reviewer, however, believes that Maximus’ being made to do stupid things while he has serious matters to worry about could have been played dramatically. Besides, it would not have been too out of place movie had its share of comic relief akin David Hemmings’ telling Oliver Reed to  “crawl back down that shithole you came from" before donning a goofy, golden wig.

       The story begins in 180AD Germany, where Roman General Maximus (Russell Crowe) finishes off the final conquest of the Barbarians with the help of his commander Quintus (Tomas Arana). After the battle Emperor Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris) tells Maximus that he intends to name him his successor with the intent to make Rome a republic again and then tells his son Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix), which turns out to be a mistake. Now Emperor, Commodus orders Maximus executed as he prepares to rule Rome irresponsibly (read: he re-opens the gladiatorial matches in the Colosseum to pander to the masses), much to the annoyance of populist senators Gracchus (Oliver Reed) and Gaius (John Shrapnel). He maintains power by intimidating his sister Lucilla (Connie Nielsen) with veiled threats toward her son Lucius (Spencer Treat Clark).
        Maximus is able to escape his murder with a clever trick: he requests a “soldier’s death,” thus prompting his executioner to subvert all expectations of what that is by stabbing him in the back. Maximus then phases through a blade pointed directly at him and reverse-headbutts his assailant from a kneeling position (this trick does not work for Commodus). I don’t want to imply that TLJ is a better movie by any means, but that disappearing knife was not a plot-critical moment. Maximus then high-tails it back to his farm, but not in time to save the lives of Ridley Scott's his wife (Gianinna Facio) and son (Giorgio Cantarini).
         Our hero is found by slavers while sleeping in the open on his farm and is brought to Zuccabar, where he is bought by gladiator pimp Proximo (Oliver Reed) and befriends fellow slaves Juba (Djimon Honsou) and Hagen (Ralf Moller). He excels at the fights despite his cynicism toward the bloodsport. Proximo advises him to win the crowd in addition to fighting and reveals that he was once a gladiator himself.
         Thanks to Commodus’ liberalization of bloodsport, Proximo is now able to take Maximus & Co. to Rome where Maximus’ success is so great he reveals himself to Commodus during a public audience. Frustrated, Commodus vies to tie up this loose end (including a failed attempt to off him by bringing a retired celebrity gladiator (Sven-Ole Thorsen) to kill him in the arena), but Maximus’ increased popularity with the mob is an obstacle to this.
           Meanwhile Maximus makes contact with his former army confidant Cicero (Tommy Flanagan), who assures him that he can bring his still-loyal army to take Rome. Through secret meetings with Lucilla and Gracchus, Maximus arranges an escape so that he can rendezvous with his troops. Commodus finds out about the conspiracy by giving Lucilla an ultimatum concerning Lucius’ life. Maximus’ plan crumbles as he is caught during the escape. During this catastrophic fallout, Gracchus is imprisoned, Cicero and Proximo (who decides to redeem himself by helping) are murdered, and Gaius is pranked by having someone slip a clearly non-venomous snake into his bed.
          Just as in another David Hemmings movie, the hero is thoroughly out-gambited but overcomes through brute force like the cornered animal he is. Commodus tries to defeat Maximus in the arena after mortally wounding him, but Maximus overpowers him and kills him. Before he succumbs to blood loss, he orders Quintus (who had betrayed Commodus at the last second) to free Gracchus and restore the Republic. He then meets his family in Elysium.
         The cast is very good. Russell Crow gives an effective, understated performance as Maximus, but Joaquin Phoenix is the real star of the movie. Oliver Reed, having won the memorial movie lottery with this film, is also very charismatic as Proximo. He usually comes off as cynical, but his nostalgia when describing the glory of battle foreshadows his revelation that he is a former gladiator and suggests a sense of comradery than influences his redemption. Richard Harris is well-cast as the wise-but-exhausted Marcus Aurelius. Other cast members include David Schofield and Omid Djalili.
        Lucilla is informed to be the Machiavellian type, which causes some disillusionment from former childhood friend Maximus), but she has little opportunity to display that angle for fear of Lucius’ life. Her apparent attempt to poison Commodus (which Commodus apparently fakes drinking, which she apparently falls for, which apparently doesn’t come to much) and her meetings with Maximus come off more like relatable desperation than cunning. Then again, she might at least attempt to send Lucius elsewhere.
        There are many reasons to reevaluate movies, and one of them is consensus-era politics, which have proven to be wrong on many things. Gladiator would be a prime suspect, considering its arguably confused attitude toward liberalism, particularly the “idea of Rome” as a fallacious abstract, ignoring that Caesar came to power for a reason. The movie also presents Maximus and Commodus as opposing versions of the Greater Man. Despite the suggestions that the corruption in the government is the source of its problems, the solution is stated to be giving power to the Senate by giving power to one man who can be trusted to make the transition happen. I suppose one could interpret the source of the rot as a mass of unelected bureaucrats, which is reflective of reality. It also helps that the movie espouses that a single dictator popular with the mob is not a good solution. The movie is very much a product of its time: especially in the depiction of Rome’s spreading civilized values through war.
        Then again, Marcus Aurelius does express misgivings over this.
        Then again, nation-building worked better for them then it did for us.
        Then again, this movie did come out before 9/11.

        Then again, Ridley Scott's own regret over this did not exactly yield good fruits.
        There are also parts where Commodus seems compelling. In his confrontation with his father, he admits that though he has little physical courage while arguing that there are other forms of it. Then again, most of his assertions are mere lip service, and the movie saves itself with a scene that proves that Gracchus is clearly more interested in addressing actual problems. One would just not have to think too much about what the pagan solution to a plague would be. One possibility is to blame a certain group of people that the real-life Commodus was known for being nicer to than his father was.
         That being said, Gladiator does a good job letting the audience enjoy it on its own terms by simply not mentioning inconvenient history (contrast this with 300’s gleefully reminding us that the Spartans were baby-killers). This might be the reason why an unnecessary scene involving Christians’ being fed to lions was wisely removed so as not to call too much attention to the movie's historical liberties. Unfortunately, this did not stop one character from saying that Rome was founded as republic.
         The movie is a bit confused on the matter of politics, which reflects consensus-era attitudes, but it unintentionally touches upon some truths and allows for interpretation. It’s at worst forgivable in its naivete. Fortunately my inner sorn's ambivalence is outweighed by my inner hross' enthusiasm.
          One of the things that makes this movie great nonetheless is its sheer spectacle: Gladiator is Ridley Scott’s direction at its best. Knowing Scott’s micromanagement of visuals, it’s hard to give that much credit to cinematographer John Mathieson. The movie looks gritty during the dark battle scenes and is effectively atmospheric without being too monochromatic. Set and prop design are impressive. The action is effective despite some cheated stunt editing (particularly the aforementioned hit detection problems). One of the main reasons I was unimpressed by Troy (though I might have to revisit it) is how visually bland it was in comparison. I don't dislike Hans Zimmer’s current ambient style as everybody else seems to, but Gladiator’s score is a top-notch example of melodic soundtracks, and one of the movies more absurd Oscar snubs.
         In retrospect, movie deserves its popularity with good character, acting, visuals, and memorable dialogue. Some of the lines are subtly witty, such as one line from Commodus that sounds very similar to its Latin translation, and when Maximus tells an enemy he has more XP than he does without saying he has more XP than he does. Another good moment is the suggestion that his to the mob as “Maximus the Merciful” is half-ironic. I assert that it did indeed deserve its BP, but then again maybe I need to rewatch Best in Show.

         

 

 

QUOTES

QUINTUS: People should know when they’re conquered.
MAXIMUS: Would you, Quintus? Would I?

 

[addressing his troops before battle]
MAXIMUS: Fratres! Three weeks from now, I will be harvesting my crops. Imagine where you will be, and it will be so. Hold the line! Stay with me! If you find yourself alone, riding in the green fields with the sun on your face, do not be troubled…for you are in Elysium, and you're already dead! [laughter] Brothers, what we do in life...echoes in eternity.

MARCUS AURELIUS: Tell me about your home.
MAXIMUS: My house is in the hills above Trujillo. A...a very simple place. Pink stones that warm in the sun. A kitchen garden that smells of herbs in the day. Jasmine in the evening. Through the gate is a giant poplar. Figs. Apples. Pears. The soil, Marcus. Black. Black like…like my wife's hair. Grapes on the south slopes, olives on the north. Wild ponies play near my house. They tease my son. He...he wants to be one of them.

[One of the Praetorian Guards struggles pulling his sword from its scabbard]

MAXIMUS: The frost. Sometimes it makes the blade stick.

[Kills him]

COMMODUS: I think I understand my own people.
GRACCHUS: Then perhaps Caesar will be so good as to teach us, out of his own extensive experience? [laughter]
COMMODUS: I call it love, Gracchus. The people are my children. I am their father. I shall hold them to my bosom and embrace them tightly...
GRACCHUS: Have you ever embraced someone dying of plague, sire?
COMMODUS: No, but if you interrupt me again, I assure you that you will.
 
DEALER: Proximo, my good friend! Every day is a great day when you are here. Today is your most fortunate day.
[Proximo grabs him by the crotch]
PROXIMO: Those giraffes you sold me, they won't mate. They just walk around, eating, and not mating. You sold me...queer giraffes. I want my money back.
 
PROXIMO: I am Proximo! I shall be closer to you for the next few days, which will be the last of your miserable lives, than that bitch of a mother who first brought you screaming into this world! I did not pay good money for your company. I paid it so that I might profit from your death. And just as your mother was there at your beginning, I shall be there at your end. And when you die - and die you shall - your transition will be to the sound of... [claps his hands]
 
[Maximus has won a gladiatorial match and throws a gladius into the press box in protest]
MAXIMUS: Are you not entertained? Is this not why you’re here?
[crowd hesitates and then continues to chant for him]
 
MAXIMUS: You sent for me?
PROXIMO: Yes I did. You’re good, Spaniard, but you’re not that good. You could be magnificent.
MAXIMUS: I’m required to kill, that is enough.
PROXIMO: That is enough for the Province, but not for Rome. The young emperor has arranged a series of spectacles to commemorate his father, Marcus Aurelius. I find that amusing, since it was Marcus Aurelius, the wise, the all-knowing Marcus Aurelius, that closed us down. So finally, after five years of scratching a living in flea-infested villages, we're finally going back to where we belong. [his eyes glaze over in wonder] The Colosseum. Oh you should see it…the Colosseum, Spaniard…fifty thousand Romans…watching…every movement of your sword…willing you to make that killer blow…the silence before you strike…the noise afterwards…rises, rises like, like..th…like, like a storm. As if you were the thunder god himself.
MAXIMUS: You were a gladiator?
PROXIMO: Yes I was.
MAXIMUS: You won your freedom?
PROXIMO: A long time ago the Emperor presented me with a rudis, just a…wooden sword. A symbol of your freedom. He…touched me on the shoulder, and I was free.
MAXIMUS: [laughing] You knew Marcus Aurelius?
PROXIMO: I didn't say I knew him, I said he touched me on the shoulder once!
MAXIMUS: You asked me what I want? I too want to stand in front of the Emperor, as you did.
PROXIMO: Then listen to me, learn from me. I wasn’t the best because I killed quickly. I was the best because the crowd loved me. Win the crowd, and you’ll win your freedom.
MAXIMUS: I will wind the crowd. I will give them something they’ve never seen before.

ANNOUNCER: You get your contract rates, or you’ll get your contract cancelled. You don’t like it, you can crawl back down that shithole you came from. [dons a goofy golden wig]

LUCIUS: Gladiator, are you the one they call the Spaniard?

MAXIMUS: Yes. 

LUCIUS: They said you were a giant. They said you could crush a man's skull with one hand.

MAXIMUS: [looks at his hand] A man's? No. A boy's...

LUCIUS: Do they have good horses in Spain?

MAXIMUS: Some of the best. [points to the horses on his armor] This is Argento, and this is Scarto. These were my horses. They were taken from me. 

LUCIUS: I like you, Spaniard, and I shall cheer for you.

COMMODUS: Your fame is well deserved, Spaniard. I don't think there's ever been a gladiator to match you. As for this young man, he insists you are Hector reborn. Or was it Hercules? …Why doesn't the hero reveal himself and tell us all your real name? You do have a name…
MAXIMUS: My name is Gladiator.
[turns his back on Commodus]
COMMODUS: How dare you show your back to me! Slave! You will remove your helmet and tell me your name.
[Maximus removes his helmet and faces him]
MAXIMUS: My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, commander of the Armies of the North, General of the Felix Legions and loyal servant to the true emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife. And I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next.
 
COMMODUS: Why is he still alive? It vexes me. I’m terribly vexed.
 
[hushed silence as Maximus refuses to kill Tigris in defiance of the crowd and Commodus]
RANDOM GUY: Maximus! Maximus! Maximus the Merciful!
[crowd laughs]
 
COMMODUS: What am I going to do with you? You simply won't... die. Are we so different, you and I? You take life when you have to... as I do.
MAXIMUS: I have only one more life to take. Then it is done.
COMMODUS: Then take it now…They tell me your son squealed like a girl when they nailed him to the cross. And your wife... moaned like a whore when they ravaged her again and again... and again.
MAXIMUS: The time for honoring yourself will soon be at an end…Highness.
 
COMMODUS: If you're very good, tomorrow night I'll tell you the story of emperor Claudius who was betrayed by those closest to him, [looks at Lucilla] by his own blood. They whispered in dark corners and went out late at night and conspired and conspired but the emperor Claudius knew they were up to something. He knew they were busy little bees. And one night he sat down with one of them and he looked at her and he said, "Tell me what you've been doing busy little bee or I shall strike down those dearest to you. You shall watch as I bathe in their blood." And the emperor was heartbroken. The little bee had wounded him more deeply than anyone else could ever have done. And what do you think happened then, Lucius?
LUCIUS: I don’t know, uncle.
COMMODUS: The little bee told him everything.
 
MAXIMUS: Are you in danger of becoming a good man, Proximo?
PROXIMO: Ha!
 
FALCO: It’s done.
COMMODUS: And what of my nephew? And what of his mother? Should they share her lover’s fate? Or should I be merciful? “Commodus the Merciful.” Lucius will stay with me now. And if his mother so much as looks at me in a manner that displeases me, he will die. If she decides to be noble and takes her own life, he will die. [to Lucilla] And as for you, you will love me as I loved you. You will provide me with an heir of pure blood, so that Commodus and his progeny will rule for a thousand years. Am I not merciful? …AM I NOT MERCIFUL?!
 
COMMODUS: The general who became a slave. The slave who became a gladiator. The gladiator who defied an emperor. Striking story. But now, the people want to know how the story ends. Only a famous death will do. And what could be more glorious than to challenge the Emperor himself in the great arena?
 
MAXIMUS: I knew a man once who said, "Death smiles at us all. All a man can do is smile back."
COMMODUS: I wonder, did your friend smile at his own death?
MAXIMUS: You should know. He was your father.